Celebrating the Small Wins
When we achieve a level of greatness, reach a milestone, or major advancement, this is often cause for celebration. But what if we allow ourselves more freedom to celebrate the small achievements in life?
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One of the questions I hate most in job interviews is “where do you see yourself in 10 years?”
When I reflect on who I was a year ago to the person I am today, I find myself unrecognizable.
Trying to imagine what my future holds for me is unrealistic. As I experience more and more each day, learning new things, setting myself on new exciting paths as I pursue my post-secondary degree, I can’t fathom the path I will be on in the long run. Exploration and seeking new opportunities to try and find my niche in this world has yet to lead me to a concrete answer of who I am and what my life and career path will be.
Starting from high school, or even earlier, the pressure to perform and achieve great success in life is embedded in us as a quintessential purpose of life. Careers class in high school taught us the essential skills, tools and habits necessary to prepare us for financial and career success post-secondary. Using personality tests and career matching applications we are encouraged to begin setting up our future at 15 or 16 years old. Deliberating on the kind of lifestyles we wanted, reflecting on our hobbies and passions, personality traits, values, strengths and weaknesses, short and long-term goal setting, there is no doubt that it is a lot of pressure for a teenager to bear.
Under the assumption that these choices we make are set in stone, the choices we make at a young age feel like the end all, be all. Without knowing and sticking to a plan for success in a dog-eat-dog world, any action that breaks out of the agenda can feel daunting.
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The emphasis in highschool to set ourselves down the path of postsecondary education further builds a narrative that education is the only way to achieve monetary success, and leaves less room for flexibility. Pursuing higher level education can feel like a guarantee for the trajectory of our lives to follow the planned, streamlined direction to success.
However, life is actually much less predictable and malleable.
No one's path to success is linear. The unpredictable nature of life often leads me to question what it means to be successful, and if success is some end goal we can ever achieve.
Holding onto larger life goals is important, as it gives us a general purpose, passion and drive. In an expensive and competitive society, this often also means chasing career goals, and achieving a decent earning for stability and survival.
Success is an ambiguous identity, defined by qualities, measurements, characteristics, milestones and achievements that each of us can mold to our own judgment. However, much of society, institutions, and the patriarchy inform the traits of a successful individual, these traditional ideals are just ideals.
Celebrating small wins—honouring the little tasks and small milestones that help us get by each day—is not only a practice of mindfulness towards the present moment, brings more fulfillment and acceptance, but also allows forgiveness and motivation, to continue to persevere.
For me, the end of the Fall semester brought cause for celebration. In the midst of the days getting shorter, weather getting colder, and the final assignments and exam season looming around the corner, November tends to suck the life out of me.
Falling sick with a horrible flu just days before my last three exams, I had to give myself a pat on the shoulder for making it through, and trying as hard as I could through any circumstance. As I completed each exam, I reminded myself that I was one step closer to finishing the semester and enjoying a relaxing winter break.
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With a high GPA being the driver towards success, the academic pressure builds, as without performing well on every test and assignment, I begin to believe my life is over. However, expressing gratitude towards how far I have already come and achieving short term goals is equally as important, and is a motivational factor.
When pressures become overwhelming, it becomes easy to get discouraged. But, positive reinforcement can act as a motivational factor as a reminder of how far we have come from the past and how much we have already achieved, rather than staying in a place of constant longing for something greater.
This kind of positive reinforcement is simply counting and reflecting on the amount of tasks achieved on a given day—especially on days that throw us unexpected emotional hurdles. Tasks like doing groceries, washing the dishes, doing laundry, or cleaning your room are all things checked off a to-do list. Even mundane tasks such as getting out of bed, showering, brushing your teeth, and eating well all remain essential and can be a cause for some self-love for caring about your health and wellbeing.
So celebrating the small things keeps us in tune with our own actions and abilities, rather than focusing too far in the unknown future driven by fear and anxiety. Through positive self-talk and in honoring our achievements allows for better stress management, as well as avoiding burnout by acknowledging when our minds and bodies need a break. The benefits of listening to your body and making time for mental breaks and stress relievers, through actions such as rest, meditation, exercise, meeting up with friends or being creative can actually lead to increased productivity, long term without burning out.
Along with continuous self-affirmation, this also increases the chances of extending positivity to others, in encouraging our peers and celebrating their successes as well.
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In a world built on competition and pressure to be the best, pursuing our goals through forgiveness and kindness builds better communities that motivate, encourage and aid one another to reach our individual goals rather than stepping over each other to reach to the top of the ladder. Uplifting each other is vital to nourishment and compassion of society, and therefore compassion, in my eyes, is the key to success.
During exam seasons when it seems like the world will fall apart if you don't cram in every last bit of studying you can, I encourage you to ask yourself instead:
Have I had enough food and water today?
How do I feel?
Am I being productive and absorbing content, or would a mental health break serve me well?
And make sure to remind yourself…
I am doing the best I can.
I feel accomplished in what I have achieved today.
I am where I need to be and am working towards my goals.
Success is a measure that is limitless and only dictated by its owner. Achievements, no matter how big or small, should be honored every step of the way. With the unexpected nature of life and the many hurdles it throws our way, there is no way to predict what the future will hold, so celebrate! Because life is too short to wait for a moment of greatness before loving yourself.
